Hunger
by Lawlieta
Summary: Food was food no matter where it was found. Not even when it's found in the garbage cans of the more fortunate. When Matt is taken in off the streets by a rich blond haired boy, he's not entirely sure what to expect.
1. Chapter 1

Everything was always similar on this block. The houses were similar: all mansion-like behemoths that reeked of money. You could walk up and down the street and see the same well manicured lawns, the same children that all went to the same private schools, and the same types of cars with tinted windows and exteriors that were only rivaled by their plush interiors.

There was only one thing on the street that created a stark contrast when compared to the perfect atmosphere that he was intruding upon.

His red hair was greasy and hung over his face as he shuffled down the street. A youth no older than 13 wandered down the street looking very misplaced in the suburban setting. He could feel the soles of his shoes separating from his foot with every step he took. His jeans hung loosely from his skinny hips and he had to pull them up every few steps to make sure they didn't fall.

He had clearly seen a great deal of pain and hunger in his short years on this earth.

His name was Matt.

_There has to be something to eat around here. A garbage can to dig through or...anything really_

He heard his stomach growl and clutched at his bony frame. It had been a long time since he could remember finding something decent to eat. The garbage cans here were bound to be full of food, wasted food that rich people didn't know the true value of.

His eyes lit up when he found a garbage can sitting in front of a cream colored house.

_This will be PARADISE_ he thought as he threw the metal lid down to the ground and began digging through the used paper towels and rotten fruit until he found..

"Oh thank god" he muttered under his breath as he pulled out a couple pizza crusts and half a sandwich. He started eating them before he'd even completely removed them from the can. Below that he found other scraps that he devoured, happy to finally have a chance to fill his empty stomach with anything...

even if it was the trash of more fortunate people than he.

He was finally feeling satisfied when he felt a hand clamp down on where his shoulder met his neck. Suddenly his veins were full of ice water and he froze, swallowing his last bite before he was pulled forcefully out of the garbage can.

"What. Are. You doing?" the voice asked firmly, coldly, the only thing that kept anger out of it was a sick sense of curiosity lurking behind the words

.

"I," his voice sounded high and nervous. He swallowed before continuing with his explanation

"I was digging through your trash. I'm hungry...starving really."

"That's disgusting," the hand released Matt's shoulders and he turned around to see who had caught him devouring trash. The boy was wiping his hand on his shirt as if Matt had transferred some kind of disease to him that could be rubbed off his hand.

"Why would you even do that? Do you know how unsanitary how...just...DISGUSTING that is?"

Matt didn't have anything to say to that. He had been called disgusting, been given the "unsanitary" talk, he knew that to these people he was nothing but a homeless pig

a HUNGRY homeless pig.

He glanced back longingly at the garbage can behind him, still open and mostly full. The boy noticed the glance and scoffed.

"You really are hungry...aren't you?"

Matt nodded shamelessly. If it was the obvious truth then where was the point in denying it?

The boy turned his back to Matt and began to walk up his driveway. He made it half way before turning around,

"Well? Aren't you coming?" He said with impatience.

Matt turned his head as if to confirm that he was the one that the boy was referring to before following cautiously behind. He wasn't entirely sure if he should trust this manic youth leading him into his house but he heard his stomach moan and knew that whatever he would meet through the arch of the doorway would be less painful then the emptiness he felt in the pit of his stomach.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The walk up the drive way felt surreal and endless to Matt. Had he finally found a guardian angel? The boy did wear a cross around his neck…

Matt scanned his eyes up and down the boy walking in front of him

The youth wasn't particularly tall; Matt was taller by at least an inch, and something about the other boy seemed soft and pampered. The boys' hair fell to his chin and his bangs softly brushed his brow. Matt had never seen hair that compared to the soft, gold tresses that framed the boys face.

His eyes were a clear shade of blue that felt as though it could pierce the depths of your soul and see your true intentions. Even from a distance the color was icy and striking.

The house loomed above him as he walked through the heavy door. Every aspect of the house felt luxurious and expensive. The floors were made of polished marble, the furniture was made of dark lacquered wood and the scent of freesia drifted through every room from small bowls of crushed and dried flowers.

Matt felt awe and unease. This wasn't his world, he shouldn't be here. Even if this boy had invited him in he felt that he was trespassing.

They turned a final corner and entered a pristine kitchen. The counters were the same marble as the floor and the appliances glittered as light glanced off the brushed aluminum. A kitchen table sat facing the window that overlooked the front yard. There was a thick, leather bound book sitting on the table. Knick knacks, car keys, and bits of change had gathered on the table, as though it were a magnet for the clutter that would normally be spread throughout an entire kitchen.

Matt hovered over the blond boys shoulder awkwardly as he browsed the shelves in his refrigerator.

"Erm…I'm sorry but I never caught your name…" he let the baited sentence hang in the air hoping for a name to put to the shining blue eyes that met his with a reply.

"That's because I never told it to you."

"Well, can I have it?"

"Why would I give it to _you_? I'll never see you again so what does it matter?"

Matt met this with silence so the nameless boy turned to explore the fridge once more, pulling out sliced turkey, cheese, and mustard. Turning to the counter next to him he grabbed a bag of bread and pulled out two slices and making a sandwich from them which he promptly threw on a plate and handed to Matt.

"This is for me?"

"Yes it's for you! Who else would it be for?" He looked into Matt's eyes with such an intense stare that Matt had to look away.

Mello sat down at the cluttered table and pushed some of the clutter aside to allow room for Matt's plate. Matt sat down and stared at his plate hungrily before snatching the sandwich and devouring it in seconds.

"This is ridiculous."

Matt looked up from his plate to see what the nameless boy had had his outburst about. The boy had a rubix cube in his hand but instead of the usual colored squares, every square had a different number on it from one to ten.

"What is that?" Matt asked, curiosity sparking in his eyes.

"It's a Sudoku cube. You have to line up the numbers in order by twisting the different sides. I've been working on it for days and I haven't made any visible progress. I hate it."

"Would you mind if I try?" Matt held out his hand, slightly stained with mustard.

The boy snorted.

"As if you could do better than _me; _sure, go ahead" he tossed it towards Matt who caught it clumsily and started seeing which ways he could turn it.

Neither one of them heard the rev of an engine from down the street. That car and it's passenger were both destined for the house where the two boys sat.

**____________________________________________________________________________________  
****Authors note:**

_Thank you so much for the people who added this story or me to their favorites. It really was encouraging to read the reviews and know that people enjoyed the first installment. All of you gave me the energy to write this next chapter. Thanks again 3 – Lawlieta_


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors note:**

_I should have specified that there was, in fact, only one person in the car. The way it was written was clumsy but I figured I should patch up that assumption. The car and it's passenger is to say there is ONE person in the car. Once again I send my love to the readers 3_

_You are all my muse_

Matt stared fixedly at his hands that were shifting this way and that over the cube. Moving the numbers and slowly making progress. Mello tried not to show interest but really couldn't resist following every movement with his sharp eyes.

Something about the way the boys hands moved, the way he shifted the pieces of the cube, it was hypnotic.

A crunch of gravel and the sound of a car door slamming came from outside and Mello jumped from his trance.

"You need to move. Now." Mello stood up from his chair, an air of seriousness filled the room.

"Hold on," Matt muttered while still flicking the pieces of the cube into their proper place. "I think I'm almost finished..." his voice trailed off.

"I don't CARE if you're almost finished! You need to MOVE!" Mello grabbed Matts arm and dragged him up from where he was seated.

Matt hardly had time to utter a slight noise of confusion before Mello wrenched open the door and shoved Matt through. The sound of the front door closing echoed through the house.

"_hide_," Mello hissed before shutting the door behind him and turning around to face a figure that appeared in the doorway of the kitchen.

Matt felt panic racing through his veins. He gripped the cube in his hand as tightly as he could while scanning the room for a place to hide. His eyes fell on a wardrobe. He pulled open the doors, pushing aside the coats and robes that were hanging inside before crawling in and shutting the doors behind him as quickly as possible.

"I know you're hiding something from me," a mans voice came from the kitchen. It had a sinister quality to it that was accentuated by the silky way he pronounced his words.

"You know I'm not stupid. How else would I have climbed my way to the top of the mafia. You can't make anything of yourself because you'll never be like me. You'll always be like that bitch of a mother you used to have. Always second best because you're not _cut out_ to be first."

Matt shivered slightly with the emphasis that was put on the last sentence before staring down at the cube in his hands, completely solved.

He heard the door of the room open and slowly edged his fingers towards the door of the wardrobe, eager to see what he assumed was Mello's father. He peered through the small crack he'd made in the door and was met with a looming figure.

The father was thin and had the same piercing blue eyes as his son. He compensated for his thin figure with his height. Despite his wiry frame he cast a long shadow.

His blond hair was held in a low slung ponytail that draped gracefully down his back, and he wore wire spectacles that perched on his thin nose. His face showed little signs of age and his suit was clean and well pressed.

In short, he was an intimidating figure that didn't belong in Matt's world.

Which meant that Matt didn't belong in his.

He felt sweat developing on the tips of his fingers and watched with horror as the cube fell from his hands and clattered against the bottom of the wardrobe.

He saw Mello's father whip around and fly towards the wardrobe door, opening it so quickly that a stronger man could have ripped them off the hinges.

Matt felt deja vu when the father uttered the next words

"What. Are. You doing?"

This was the second time Matt had been asked this today and the second time he wasn't sure how to explain.

**Authors note:**

_Sorry that this chapter feels shorter than the rest. I'm not sure if it actually is but if it is than I promise I'll make up for it with the next chapter. Today has been hectic and I needed to update so that none of you got too restless _; )


	4. Chapter 4

_Sorry this chapter was so late guys. I've been really distracted and classes are going to start again for me_

_Hope everyone is well_

_Once again I send all my love and say thanks for all the support. Hope you enjoy this chapter even if it's a touch shorter than usual._

Matt felt small as he stared at the looming figure glaring down on him. He could feel electricity in the air making the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

"I believe I asked you a question," the man spoke again, his tone rising in anger. "What do you THINK you're DOING?"

Matt opened his mouth but nothing came out but a small creak from his throat. How could he explain any of the events that led up to this confrontation? How could he explain that he had been digging through the garbage can in this mans front yard before being invited into the house by Mello.

Matt looked at Mello, crying out for help with his eyes but his emerald eyes met nothing but cold, icy depths.

He felt long fingers grip his arm and yank him to his feet.  
"You little piece of scum. Are you deaf? I asked you what you were doing in MY closet in MY house."

His voice felt like a roar around Matt now. He could feel the anger radiating from fingers that were clamped tightly around his arm. Matt had found his voice but lost articulation.  
"I was solving the cube!" he cried. He hadn't been this frightened in his life. Not since…

"What?"  
The man seemed taken aback from the simple answer.  
"Excuse me?"

"The cube!" he pointed down to where the cube was sitting, completely solved. Matt could feel the fingers around his arm loosen; he felt the pleasant sensation of blood rushing down to his fingers again. The man stooped down and grabbed the cube, turning it over and examining it slowly with his hands.  
"You did this?" That look of rage had faded from his eyes replaced with one of fascination. Matt had seen this look in the eyes of creatures while they were sizing up their prey.

The man whipped around and waved the cube slowly in front of Mellos face.  
"Is this true Mello? Is what this boy telling me true?"

Mello swallowed the lump that had developed in his throat before letting out a reluctant yes.

"So what you're telling me," he continued to wave the cube mockingly in front of his sons face. "Is that this little street rat piece of scum was able to solve this cube but my son was not. The son of Demetri Keehl couldn't even outwit this,"

He pointed a finger with a buffed shining nail in Matt's direction and Matt felt a twinge of self consciousness.

There was dirt underneath his nails, stains on his shirt, holes in his pants, and grease in his hair. He could see where his feet had touched their pristine floors and left smudges of dirt.

His thoughts were broken from the sight of Demetri's face looming right in front of his. He had stooped so he could look Matt straight in the eye.

"You're not average scum...your something more. I see it in your eyes. You've seen more pain and suffering than most people will in their entire lifetimes, but you survived and that's what counts. You've got moxie...gumption, and you've got the brains to make that courage more than a blind rage. I could turn you into something great, something feared,"

Matt bit his tongue and stole a look passed the mans probing eyes. Mello looked furious, his eyes were icy as they glared out from beneath his hair. Matt wished he could apologize but this whirlwind of a situation was moving faster than he could follow.

Mello's father noticed the distraction in Matt's eyes and straightened up, once more assuming his stern expression.

"The bathroom is the second door on your right down the hallways outside that door," he gestured.

"Go clean yourself up for god's sake. You'll no longer be known as scum. I'm going to make you something more."


	5. Chapter 5

_Second door on the right. Second door on the right. Second door on the right._

Matt's mind kept repeating these instructions to him even as he was reaching for the shiny golden knob of the bathroom door.

He flipped a switch and was dazzled by the light glinting off of chrome and porcelain. Everything was pristine, shiny, white, or silver. Matt shivered and tried not to think of that hospital room from so long ago. Pushing the haunting thoughts out of his head, he sat on the edge of the bathtub and turned the hot water tap. Hardly aware of the water filling the tub behind him, Matt slowly started to peel his clothes from his body. He tried to remember the last time he'd taken a bath: "probably never," he said to himself quietly.

The water burned at first but Matt adjusted to it, settling with his chin resting on his knees. He stared at his toes as they wiggled under the shifting water. They were still dirty.

He jumped as a knock at the door jarred his thoughts

"My father told me to bring you some towels," Matt wasn't sure if there was emphasis on the word "my" or if he had imagined it.

Before Matt could form an appropriate reply Mello opened the door, he held a well folded towel in his arms which he placed on the toilet seat before turning around and staring at Matt.

Matt stared back, intimidated.

"Don't you know how to wash your hair?" Mello sneered. Silence was the only reply. "Well?" This time the blond didn't sound as aggressive, "Do you want help or not?" There was that strange foreign attitude that Matt didn't understand.

Matt felt as if his tongue had been tied into a knot. He wasn't afraid of the blond, but something about him made Matt nervous and careful.

"Do you hate me?" Matt asked as Mello grabbed a shampoo bottle out of a corner of the bathroom and squirted some into his hand.

"Yes." Mello worked the shampoo through Matt's hair, scrubbing through ages of grease and dirt.

"Why?" Matt felt his stomach clench at the idea.

"Because I hate everything." Mello said, sounding annoyed.

"You hate everything? Even your father and mother? This house? Your life?" The irony of Matt asking this question wasn't lost on him, but if Mello didn't know his history than why should it matter?

"Father makes me take pills, but I never swallow them. I leave them in my cheek and spit them out later. They say I'm imbalanced...bipolar, and I say that if I have to swallow pills and act like something I'm not...then where's the point in living?" Mello's nails dug into Matt's scalp as he became angrier.

"Ow!" Mello let go of Matt, dunking his hands in the bathwater and drying them off on a towel.

"My mother is dead," Mello's eyes looked hard and angry "At least she didn't die before she could teach me to wash my own hair." Mello walked out of the bathroom and closed the door firmly on the only person he'd ever confided in.

Matt felt a warm sting in his eyes which he hadn't felt in years. Tears trickled slowly down his cheeks, hitting the still water in the bathtub. His mother wasn't dead and even if she had been, Mello had no right to mention Matt's family.

Matt leaned back and let his head slide under the water and listened to his heart pound in his ears. This had been too much: the kind gestures that he had never found anywhere, and the cold words he had found everywhere.

His mind wandered back to the pills and Mello's philosophies on life. He wondered if Mello really did hate him.

_Hi guys. It's been a while hasn't it?_

_I'm sorry if this chapter isn't so good. I tried but it's been a while since I've updated so I might have lost the thread of the story somewhere in there. If there is anything I missed you can message me or something. I want to start updating again so I hope you all still want to read!_

_Thanks again._


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